At Last
by gryffindor.potter02
Summary: ooo James Potter entered through the door, winking at her with that unmistakable smirk on his face before stalking towards his dormitory. Lily groaned, not bothering to hide it. Here we go again. ooo Lots of Jily fluff! Reviews are loved :)
1. Chapter 1

**Hey! So if you haven't already read my profile, this story may seem familiar. This is because my old account, (my same username except 03), had some problems working, so I have posted the new and edited version of the story I posted on my old account ("At Last"). There have been some changes, but the storyline is complete. I will post new chapters as long as I get a couple reviews (hehe ;) )**

 **Anyway, thanks for reading, and enjoy!**

* * *

Lily Evans was sick of James Potter, the quidditch-obsessed prat who was in love with her. Why? She still hadn't worked that out.

It was an exciting time for the sixth years of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Snow covered the school grounds and the general mood seemed merry indeed. So what other time of year could it have been but the holidays?

With the holidays came a special surprise - Professor Slughorn had volunteered to set up a fabulous holiday ball for the sixth and seventh years of the school in a mere three weeks. There really wasn't a set name for this event, thus the students resorted to calling it the Winter Ball.

Lily had not yet been asked by anyone, but fingers crossed her crush, Tanner Brown (aka the rather attractive Ravenclaw Quidditch captain) would ask her anytime soon. Him, or the infamous Potter, who could not seem to get over her.

Lily's whirlwind of thoughts was interrupted by the entrance of her best friend Marlene McKinnon squealing excitedly towards her (or her comfortable armchair she was quite contentedly resting upon in the common room).

"Lils, you will NOT believe this! I just came back from Quidditch practice, and Potter, being the captain, announced that our first game is just _two weeks away!_ " Marlene burst out. Lily smiled at her friend's excitement.

"That's brilliant, Marlene!" Lily grinned at her best friend.

"I know! Wait, you're coming though, right?" Marlene said, her voice adopting a rather fierce air.

"You bloody well know I'm coming, Mar." Lily said, rolling her eyes, though her emerald eyes shone with laughter.

"Might I ask if it's because of a certain stunning Gryffindor Chaser I know?" James Potter entered through the door, winking at her with that unmistakable smirk on his face before stalking towards his dormitory.

Lily groaned, not bothering to hide it. She absolutely loathed Potter, that annoying prat. He thought just because he was quite attractive, had excellent grades without trying, all the girls, Quidditch captain, he could act all arrogant. Marlene, guessing what her best friend was thinking, giggled furiously.

"Oh lighten up, Lily. You know he's just teasing. A lot of girls would die to be in your place," Marlene reminded her friend practically.

"Whatever," Lily said, obviously wanting to take the topic away from Potter as soon as possible.

"Well, anyway, the Winter Ball's only in about a month! Has Tanner asked you yet?" Marlene said, swiftly changing the topic.

"Not yet.. Blimey, Marlene, if he doesn't ask me, I'm dead meat! I mean, how bad would it look for a prefect to go alone to the ball?" Lily said, a familiar wave of worry washing over her.

"Don't worry, Lils, he'll definitely ask you," Marlene smiled at her friend. Secretly, Lily hoped the same.

* * *

As Marlene and Lily made their way towards the Dining Hall for dinner, they were interrupted by a seemingly flustered Sirius and a James Potter.

"Heyyy Marlene," Sirius grinned nervously, glancing at the dark-haired girl.

"Hello Sirius, what's up?" Marlene said amicably, albeit confused with Sirius's out of character nervousness.

"It's just, uh, you know, wannagototheballwithme?" Sirius babbled, diverting his eyes. Marlene gasped. Potter, apparentely couldn't take it any more and burst into laughter. Lily took one look at Black's stricken face laughed out loud as well. This was too good, Lily thought, grinning madly.

"Oh.. uh, sure!" Marlene said, grinning a little.

"Blimey.. Great! Well let's go to dinner, shall we?" Sirius winked, seemingly having recovered from his shock. Marlene slowly nodded, as if still trying to grasp the fact that _Sirius Black_ had just asked her out. James and Lily took one look at the pair and burst out laughing again.

"Well, let's leave the couple to themselves, as I'm in no mood to see passionate snogging right now," James snorted. "Come on, Evans." Lily followed James toward the Dining Hall, happy for her friend, but at the same time, quite surprised that James hadn't seized the opportunity to ask her out, as he usually would've done. Lily raised an eyebrow at this thought, but then shook it off. Potter couldn't change - he would always be the arrogant, proud prat that he was. Maybe, Lily thought, just maybe, if Potter fixed his arrogance (and prickishness), he would actually be a nice person. But that was yet to come.

* * *

"Tanner!" Lily smiled as she saw the tall Ravenclaw walked towards her.

"Hey! Lils, what's up?" Tanner grinned, pecking Lily on the cheek. Lily blushed happily.

"So what're you doing Saturday?" Lily said, in attempt to make conversation.

"How could you forget Lily? **I** have Quidditch practice, and seeing that I'm captain, I can't miss it. Anyway, the Ravenclaw team would do miserably if I wasn't there, since I'm the best player and all. And I…" Suddenly Tanner stopped smirking, and his face contorted into one of worry.

"Oh, shoot! Lily, I'm so so sorry, I'd promised to meet Flitwick after class for some Charms work I missed, and I completely forgot!" Tanner exclaimed.

"Oh.. that's all right, no don't worry, go ahead. I'll see you later?" Lily asked, putting up a smile. She couldn't help but thinking that Tanner had gotten quite full of himself ever since Dumbledore had awarded him his captainship.

"Definitely. Bye Lils!" Tanner said, in a half-run. But Lily couldn't help but notice that he had gone in the hallway quite the opposite of the Charms room. 'He couldn't be lying though, could he? I mean…. ' Lily wondered to herself. Then, she shook it off. Tanner would never lie to her, he wouldn't do that to her.

* * *

 **Thanks for reading! Reviews are loved :)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I own nothing**

* * *

"Coming Remus," Lily called, hastily flinging on her robes. Tonight was Lily's turn to do her prefect patrols with Remus. Usually, she would've been out the door a long time ago. Today, though, she had been blessed with a terrible headache, and had taken a small nap. The hours ticked by, and suddenly, she had remembered her duties. Lily grabbed her wand, and stepped out the portrait hole.

"Thanks for waiting," Lily said, grinning sheepishly. Remus rolled his eyes, smiling a little.

"Yeah it was nothing. Now how do you want to do patrols today?" Remus asked.

"How about I take the North Tower, and you take South? The other prefects are doing the other towers tonight, thank Merlin. I am exhausted," Lily said. Remus merely shrugged, and the two parted ways.

'That's just what I need, a little time to myself…. A little time away from those dammd Transfiguration textbooks' Lily thought contentedly. She passed by a broom closet, and yanked open the door to find a Hufflepuff couple mid-snog. Lily sent them to their rooms, but didn't take off points ('I mean, it was only Hufflepuff; they're so behind, they could never win the House Cup anyway'). She walked a little ways more, and then opened the next door; it turned out to be empty. Lily shrugged and moved on. After five broom closets, she had found no other couples than the first one. Lily checked her watch - only five more minutes and her patrol would be over. She figured that she'd check one last closet before heading to her dormitory. Lily didn't think twice before yanking the door open. What she saw inside made her wish that she hadn't opened the door in the first place.

"Tanner?!" Lily half-yelled, jamming on the light. Tanner quickly detached himself from the girl he was snogging (which happened to be an infuriatingly pretty Ravenclaw seventh year) to look at Lily. When he recognized her, Tanner's mouth fell open with shock.

"Lily? Oh .. er. I, uh, it was not my fault, I promise, I swear," Tanner stuttered, completely at a loss for words. The girl, Ravenna, stared at Tanner in confusion, obviously unaware of the supposed relationship Tanner had shared with Lily.

"Save it, Brown. 30 points from Ravenclaw. Now get lost." Lily said, deadly quiet. Tanner took the opportunity to grab Ravenna's hand and escape as quickly as possible. Lily stood there just staring at the broom closet for what seemed like hours before realizing her patrol was long over. Then, as quickly as she could, Lily paced towards the empty Gryffindor common room and collapsed onto her favorite armchair. Not caring about what anyone would think about her, she burst into feverish tears.

"Lily?" James Potter quietly slipped into the common room. He hadn't been able to sleep, so he had gone down to the kitchen for a snack. James set the food down, and took a seat next to Lily.

"Leave me alone," Lily said, not bothering to look at who it was. She hastily tried to wipe the tears from her eyes. James smiled at her.

"Come on, Lily, tell me what's wrong. I won't tell anyone, I promise," James said, pleading. Lily, who was in no state to argue, sighed and told him the story. At one point, she started to cry again.

James remained quiet, his hazel eyes burning with anger. How was it that that arrogant Ravenclaw prat had gotten Lily, and had then abused his opportunity so? James was infuriated and was about to open his mouth when-

"James…." Lily reprimanded, sensing the boy's anger. She gave him a half-smile of bitter amusement. Upon seeing Lily smile, James shook off his anger.

"Here, have a brownie," James said, temporarily assuming an air of humour, grabbing the food from the platter. Lily laughed, and the pair spent the next couple hours sharing stories, laughing, and having a good time. After a while, Lily crept into her dormitory, exhausted. James did the same, not able to take the goofy grin off his face.

* * *

"Blimey, mate, and you're sure that was Lily?" Sirius joked, upon hearing of the previous night's events.

"Always that note of surprise, " James said, grinning at his friend widely. **(A/N: from harry potter and the deathly hallows! :) )**

"Are you going to ask her to the ball?" Remus asked, good-humouredly.

"Mate, this was the first time Lily's ever talked to you without hexing you. If you asked her now, she'd be furious." Sirius said.

"Wow, and _that's_ the first time Padfoot has ever talked sense!" Remus exclaimed, and the whole lot started laughing.

"You know, rumor has it that ol' Snivelly is going to ask her," Peter said, in attempt to be funny. But instead, the whole group silenced.

" _Snivellus!"_ James exclaimed. "No way would she say yes to that greasy haired brute. He calls every Muggle-born but her a Mudblood!"

"Well they are friends…." Remus said, cautiously, not wanting to disappoint his friend.

"I… I thought _everyone knew."_ Peter said, nervously looking about.

"Well, I'll have to win her over, in a matter of, what, three weeks?" James groaned. Forget about their History of Magic exam. This was impossible.

* * *

Lily woke up the next morning feeling light and cheerful. It was a beautiful, snowy day, and the Hogwarts grounds looked absolutely stunning. She got out of bed, woke Marlene, and the two of them headed downstairs to breakfast.

"Isn't it just lovely outside?" said Lily, smiling happily.

"What's gotten you in such a good mood? Lily? Good mood in the morning? Never." Marlene joked, slinging her arm around her best friend.

"Thanks mate. I do appreciate it." Lily said sarcastically, taking a seat at the table.

"Hey Evans, Marlene" James Potter nodded at each girl as the Marauders sat down to eat.

"So I was thinking…. shall we have a snowball fight? The weather's brilliant." Sirius asked everyone.

"Sure mate. Sounds good"

"See I TOLD you the weather was lovely," Lily said, glaring at Marlene with mock annoyance. Marlene laughed.

"We're in Sirius," Marlene said, winking.

* * *

"PADFOOT!" James yelled, as Sirius shoved some snow down James's robe. Lily laughed, her eyes gleaming with amusement.

"Oh you think THAT's funny, do you Evans…. then what about THIS!" James threw an ice cold snowball right at Lily's face.

"POTTER!" Lily yelled. "Oh I'll get you for that!" Lily threw a snowball, and it hit James square on the stomach.

"Aw Evans, come on. Have some pity on your favorite Marauder," James joked, smiling.

"Who said you were my favorite Marauder?" Lily said, returning the smile.

"Deep inside, under all of that feistiness, you know I'm you're favorite Marauder, " James said, wiggling his eyebrows amusedly.

"Sure Potter, sure." Lily said, giggling.

But the pair was interrupted by a tall, greasy-haired figure who was approaching.

"Hey Lils, could I, uh, talk to you for a second?" Snape looked livid at seeing Lily hang out with the bully that had tortured him for six years, no less.

"Of course, Sev. I'll be right back guys, go on without me, " Lily said, smiling at the lot. Marlene raised an eyebrow, seeing Severus and Lily head out together, while James's face bore utter disappointment.

Once they were a distance away from the Marauders, Severus spoke.

"Lils, um, I was wondering if you'd like to, uh, go to the ball with me?" Snape hands shook as he spoke. Snape had figured the earlier he asked Lily, the less chance someone else would swipe her up.

Lily sighed as she heard those words.

"Sev, you know I love you as a friend, you're my best friend. I just don't….. love you like _that._ " Lily said, watching Severus's eyes grow miserable.

"Yeah I know. It's all right. Thanks though," Snape said, thoroughly heartbroken. Lily wrung her hands together nervously. She hadn't _meant_ to hurt her friend's feelings... it was just... Severus could be a bit much sometimes, what with his beliefs and his Slytherin friends. In these dark times, it didn't feel right to associate herself with people with such ties. She wasn't saying that Severus wasn't a nice person, no of course he was. Besides, one could have a friend of the opposite gender without having to share something romantic, right?

But seeing her childhood friend look so forlorn made her feel so terrible.

"Severus, you know I don't mean to hurt your feelings. You've been my friend since we were children. I'm really sorry." Lily apologized, and she meant every word of it.

Severus merely nodded in response. He was about to leave, when suddenly something occured to him. Lily engaged in a snowball fight with _James Potter?_ Oh Merlin, how hadn't he seen the signs before!

"Lily!" Snape called.

"Yes?"

"You're not going to the ball with.. uh.. James Potter, though, are you?" Snape said, anxious for the answer. Lily eyes widened with shock, and then sighed. Of course Severus would ask her such a tactless question.

"What's it to you, who I go to the ball with?" Lily responded, a little too harshly for her liking.

"It's just, you know… Potter bullies…. well never mind then, I'll see you around?" Severus said, mentally cringing at his response.

"See you Sev" Lily said, a little unhappy. The truth was, Potter had seemed to be maturing. He'd stopped asking her out, he'd stop teasing her incessantly, and he'd been kind to her when she'd needed to pour out her furies about Tanner. And if Potter kept up this behavior, well, ... needless to say, they were on the road to becoming good friends, at the very least.

Lily sighed. What a mess.

* * *

 **thanks for reading :)) hope you liked this chapter**

 **reviews would be awesome ;)**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I merely own my ideas; Everything Harry Potter related belongs to JKR.**

* * *

"OI JAMSIE! WAKE UP!" Sirius shook James so vigorously that his glasses fell off. James stirred, and grabbed his glasses.

"Sirius, mate, WHAT is your problem?" James said, mildly frustrated. He already got minimal sleep because of Quidditch practice; on the few days he was able to sleep in, he seized the opportunity.

"My problem is, YOU promised to help me finish my Charms homework today, and I want to be able to play Quidditch in the afternoon. So get your lazy arse out of bed and help me so we can play Quidditch later." Sirius said triumphantly. Groaning, James got out of bed.

After breakfast Sirius and James headed to the library to do their Charms work, along with Remus and Peter. It was as productive as it could've gotten with Hogwarts' most mischievous students working together. In the end, James relented to writing Sirius's whole essay, in return for some Honeydukes chocolate on the next Hogsmeade trip. 'Done!' Sirius had said, and the amusing pair exited the library.

Their exit, however, didn't go unnoticed. A certain someone had been watching their every move.

"Expelliarmus!" a greasy voice uttered. James, Remus, Sirius, and Peter's wands flew out of their hands and into the hands of

"SNIVELLUS? Give me my wand back!." James was shocked.

Snape laughed, rather evilly. "So now that I've got your attention... I'd like to say something. From now on, Lily is MINE. None of you shall go hanging about her, UNLESS you'd like me to keep your wands for the rest of the year, while you'd have to go buy new ones... And I highly doubt, Black, that you'd like to BURDEN the Potters more than you already have" Snape sneered at the four. Sirius looked more forlorn and abashed than he had had in ages.

"Shut it Snape. Don't listen to him, Padfoot, you know better." James said, albeit worriedly.

"SEVERUS SNAPE, WHAT do you think you're DOING?" Lily Evans stormed in, angrily. James' eyes brightened as the girl of his dreams stormed in. She was beautiful when she was angry.

"Oh... Lils, I was just, uh... telling Potter and his gang to shove off.. and like um " Snape murmured nervously, completely at a loss for what to do.

"With their WANDS?.. Severus I heard everything.. I don't know what to DO with you honestly! You act like a jerk to everyone except for me! Calling people MUDBLOODS and other filthy things. Please Severus, you're better than that!" Lily sighed. Severus was so kind to her, but a jerk to everyone else. What else could she have done. She faced her next challenge, probably explaining to Potter that this was nothing more than her ranting at Severus, not her saving their lives or some nonsense that Potter would make it seem. But James beat her to it.

"Blimey.. uh thanks Evans. That was really kind of you. Come on guys, let's go," James said, scratching the back of his ear. The others echoed his words of kindness, grabbed their wands, and followed James back to the common room. Lily just stood there, her and her tornado of thoughts. Suddenly, the face she most didn't want to see appeared at the beginning of the stairway.

"Hey Lily. I just wanted to confirm that we are NOT going to the ball together, right?" Tanner Brown grinned sheepishly.

"Of course we're not," Lily said annoyedly, rolling her eyes.

"Good. Because Ravenna….. well you gotta meet her!" Tanner said, smiling dreamily.

Lily just shook her head. Did Tanner have no shame? Saying this sort of stuff to the ex-girlfriend he'd just cheated on less than 48 hours ago? Why should she, Lily, care so much about Tanner, when it didn't seem to hurt him, the fact that they were no longer together. Rather than mope about, Lily was determined to convert her sadness into motivation, motivation to get back at Tanner. And thankfully, she knew just the people for the job...

* * *

"So you want US, the Marauders, the people you've hated ever since first year, to prank Tanner just for you?" Sirius burst out incredulously.

"Well, to be fair, I never hated Remus or Peter," Lily said, a smile tugging at her lips.

"And what do we get in return?," James asked, raising an eyebrow skeptically. Inwardly, though, he was thrilled their relationship was taking a turn towards friendship rather than the one-sided enmity it had been.

"James!" Remus scolded, although surreptitiously curious as to how Lily would respond.

"Well, I did save you from a certain Severus Snape I know" Lily laughed uncomfortably. She hadn't thought of the fact that the Marauders would ask for something in return, which in hindsight, she should have known they would've.

"Wow Evans, that's all you've got?" James rolled his eyes in mock frustration, but smiled nevertheless.

"I've got it!" Sirius exclaimed, his eyes gleaming with mischief. He whispered something to James who in turn nodded his head furiously.

"You, Evans, are going to come with us to Hogsmeade this weekend," James said, grinning widely.

"And Marlene, as well," Sirius said.

Lily felt like someone had hit her with a Confundus Charm. "How, in the name of Merlin, are you going to get to Hogsmeade?! The next weekend is months from now!" Lily exclaimed.

"You in or not, Evans?" James said, crossing his arms.

"Alright, sure, why not... But what's your plan for Tanner?" Lily said skeptically.

Sirius laughed heartily. "Leave that to us," he chuckled.

Lily smiled, rolled her eyes, and returned to her dormitory

* * *

The days flew by, and soon, it was time for Lily, Marlene, and the Marauders to head to Hogsmeade. The Marauders were up early, planning the day, while Lily and Marlene were blissfully snoring in the girls dormitory.

"Oi! Get up, it's time for breakfast!" Sirius yelled as he banged on the girls' dormitory door, waking not only Lily and Marlene, but all of the other girls in the dormitory as well. He knew there was still about half an hour until breakfast started, but he was eager to wake the girls.

"Another minute!" Lily groaned as she rolled over and went back to sleep.

"Lily! Today's the day we...well you know!" Marlene said, sitting up excitedly in her bed. Some girls stared at her in confusion, while others ignored her and slept on.

"Huh? Oh... OH" Lily exclaimed. She highly doubted the Marauders were going to get her all the way to Hogsmeade, but they were in for an exciting day, that was likely, Lily concluded. They quickly got up, apologized to the other girls for the racket Sirius had caused, and went to freshen up before breakfast. Heading down to the common room, the girls met an eager Sirius, a grinning James, a smiling Remus, and a yawning Peter.

"WELL, glad to see you ladies are up... it was about time," James laughed.

"Bloody hel Sirius, WHY did you have to wake all the girls in the dormitory?!" Lily said, giggling.

"If I didn't, you guys probably would've slept all through breakfast, and maybe even through the day. And Evans, you promised us a day in Hogsmeade" Sirius said.

"That's probably true," Marlene said, smirking at a blushing Lily.

"Oh shut up," Lily said, rolling her eyes. James, Sirius, and Remus all chuckled. Peter just yawned.

* * *

"OH MY MERLIN! A secret passageway?!" Marlene yelled excitedly. Lily, too, had a huge smile plastered on her face. The Marauders and girls had just finished breakfast, and were headed off to Hogsmeade. The Marauders had found that, by pressing a hidden button on the statue of Witch Gretchen, a secret passageway would open up between them.

"Shut up! If anyone finds out, we're done for," Remus said, scanning the corridors for Argus Filch and his filthy cat.

"Come on!" Sirius called, anxious to get to Hogsmeade.

"After you," James said, winking at Lily. Instead of rolling her eyes as she usually did, she smiled at him and walked through. Marlene followed her, then Sirius, Remus, Peter, and lastly James.

The passageway stretched about half a mile, and it took the crew about fifteen minutes to get through it. But it was totally worth it. Lily stepped out of the passage into a beautiful, snowy Hogsmeade. Lily and Marlene stood there, their hair whipping with the winter wind, in complete awe. Hogsmeade was pretty crowded this time of year, with hundreds of wizards and witches seeking to purchase presents for their loved ones. Lily's emerald eyes sparkled with excitement.

"Guys.." Lily breathed. "This is ... "

"Bloody awesome? I thought so, " James chuckled. He felt so incredibly happy (albeit relieved) that his relationship with Lily was finally beginning to blossom. Not the romance he had hoped for in first year, but he'd take this any day over the enmity they had had.

An awed silence fell over the teens, but as always, it was broken.

"So where should we go? I was thinking Three Broomsticks?" Sirius said, anxious to get the most out of their trip.

"Sure, Padfoot! Come on guys," Remus called, already walking there.

The group had a blast at Three Broomsticks, and to Lily's surprise, it appeared as if the Marauders were regular visitors to the wizarding village, no matter of the rules Hogwarts had instilled. They drank butterbeer from Madam Rosmerta, bought loads of sweets, visited the Zonko's (mainly for James and Sirius, they had needed some inspiration for the prank they had planned), and had a great time. Lily and Marlene had an excellent time, and thanked the Marauders furiously after the day had crawled to an end.

"Remus… guys.. Today was bloody brilliant," Marlene said, her cheeks glowing bright red from the cold. Lily nodded, smiling happily.

"Glad you enjoyed it," James said, grinning. And the group headed off to the Dining Hall.

But of course, the day could not go absolutely perfectly, there was still something to come. At the dining hall, Lily was met by a surprise: Tanner… again. The two made eye contact across the hall, and then Tanner walked over to her, but not alone.

"Heyyy Lily! Meet my girlfriend, Ravenna." Tanner said, casting a loving glance upon the brunette standing next to him. It was the same girl Lily had caught Tanner snogging in the closet the other day.

"Oh… um, hey Ravenna," Lily said, awkwardly smiling at the girl. The girl smiled back shyly. Surprisingly, the flare of anger when she had first seen Tanner with this girl had vanished completely. She felt perfectly fine seeing the pair together. Lily glanced at Tanner, and raised her eyebrows, as if questioning why he was even here.

"Come on, Ravenna, let's head back to our table," Tanner said, grabbing Ravenna's hand. He had obviously wanted to make Lily jealous, but was irritated that he had failed completely.

Once they had left, Lily giggled to herself. She couldn't wait to hear what prank the Marauders would come up with.

* * *

 **thanks so much for reading! please please please review :)))**


	4. Chapter 4

**Welcome to the penultimate chapter of "At Last"! :) Thanks so much for reading guys, I really appreciate it :))**

 **The more reviews I get, the sooner I'll post the conclusion :P**

* * *

That night, James, Sirius, Remus, and to some extent Peter discussed the prank they were to pull on Tanner Brown.

"I think we should jinx his chocolate frogs so that once he takes a bite, he'd turn a nasty, frogly shade of green. That's definitely scare Ravenna away," Sirius said, laughing raucously. James laughed along.

"I like that," Peter said giggling softly.

"Sirius!" Remus reprimanded, although a smile was playing at his lips.

"Alright, alright… maybe we prank Brown herself, and give her a taste of his own medicine. We slip her a love potion and make sure… say, who does Brown absolutely despise?" James said, thinking aloud.

"Lily!" Sirius yelled, and burst into tears of uncontrollable laughter. Peter and Remus joined him.

"PADFOOT be serious, come on," James yelled back, half-frustrated, half-amused.

"H..he s..sssaid be s.. Ssirius," Sirius stuttered, delirious from laughter. Soon, the whole crew was rolling around in fits of laughter.

After the laughing phase had passed, the Marauders gathered round, and started to plan the prank they had promised Lily. After a couple hours, the draft was ready, and now, all they had to do was keep it a secret till the next Quidditch game….

* * *

Meanwhile, Lily and Marlene were in their dormitory getting ready for bed. They were exhausted from the day's adventure, and couldn't wait to go to sleep.

"Wow, Lily, I had a great time today!" Marlene said sleepily. Lily nodded her head vigorously.

"It was the most fun I've had in literally ages." Lily said nonchalantly.

"Yeah…. You know Lily, James really isn't that bad. He's trying his best to change you know. He's not as bad as last year." Marlene said cautiously. She knew from past experience that talking about James was like walking on very thin ice.

"Well he's changed that's for sure," Lily replied, and rolled over on her bed, facing the wall. She sighed to herself, and shut the light, hoping that the darkness would help her ignore the butterflies that overcame her when a certain student's name was mentioned.

* * *

On the opposite side of campus, in the Slytherin dormitory, Severus Snape struggled to fall asleep. He couldn't get the image of James and Lily smiling at each other in the Dining Hall out of his head. Why did stupid Potter have to spoil everything he had shared with Lily?! It had been great, just the two of them, Lils and Sev, for the last six years! Granted, Lily had had her doubts about Mulciber and the rest of his Slytherin mates, but it had been the best six years of his life. Severus growled. He hated Potter more than anything.

He shut his eyes angrily, and tried his best to fall asleep in the darkness that pervaded not only the room, but his heart.

* * *

The next morning, James woke up with a big smile on his face; it was Sunday, and that meant Quidditch practice. There was only a week left until the prank the Marauders had planned, and it was going to happen on James's second most favorite place in the world (after Hogwarts): the Quidditch pitch.

He left a note for the others, and headed out. It was four o' clock in the morning, so he didn't expect the other team members to be very lively. Once he reached the Quidditch pitch, he was pleased to see that all of the other team members (including Marlene) were present (though yawning, moaning and groaning).

"All right guys, just seven days till the big game. You better try your hardest, Ravenclaw is going to play tough. They may have brains, but we have skill! Nobody's better than the Gryffindor team, and you know it! We're going to win the Quidditch Cup this year, it's my last year, we better! So play your hardest, and we'll beat the fubbling crab outta them. Got it?" James yelled passionately.

"Yes coach," the team replied. It seemed as if the pep talk from their captain had woken them up - just a little.

They spent the next three hours of practice blocking Bludgers, scoring goals, and lastly, seeking the golden snitch. Before they knew it, breakfast had arrived, and the team left the pitch feeling sweatier than ever.

"Hey Marlene, can I talk to you for a quick second?" James called, as they walked to the Dining Hall.

"Oh… sure James," Marlene replied agreeably.

"Alright… see it's about Lily. I feel like our relationship is warming up a little…. Do you think she, you know, has…" James looked around embarrassedly.

"Feelings for you?" Marlene filled in. "I don't know James, but whatever you're doing right now, keep it up, because she doesn't hate you anymore, that's for certain."

"Okay, thanks Marlene. See you around." James said quickly, rushing towards the breakfast table.

Marlene sighed. She knew it was meant to be… how much longer would it take for Lily to realize that she was slowly, yet unknowingly, falling for her former nemesis?

* * *

The Marauders were silent all week, a feat extremely out of place for the otherwise rowdy group. They didn't crack jokes, and merely said hi and hello. Lily seemed extremely wary, since whenever they were silent, it meant they were up to something; she sincerely hoped whatever they were planning had to do with the Tanner prank. However, Lily had been having other thoughts. She was a prefect… was it really right to prank a fellow student, no matter what he did to her? Lily sighed. But Tanner really did deserve a slap on the face….

"Hey Evans," Sirius called from across the hall, the other Marauders right behind him.

"Oh, blimey, didn't see you there," Lily replied. "Listen, I have something to ask you. I'm.. well I'm a prefect, and well, if McGonagall found out that I had been a part of this, I'm kinda screwed." Lily said sheepishly.

"I get it. But don't worry, we'll leave you out of this at all costs," James said winking at her.

"Thanks," Lily said, grinning.

"Anytime Lils. Come on Padfoot, Moony, Wormtail! We got to go get the book about the … the thing," James said, glancing warily at Lily.

"Thing? What thing? Let me come along, please!" Lily begged, her curiosity getting the best of her.

"Prongs… we promised it be a secret," Sirius said cautiously.

"Sorry, Evans, you'll love it, I promise." James said, grinning.

"Yeah, and it won't be long until you see it in action," Remus added, smiling.

"Ugh, alright. See you," Lily said, glancing at her watch. There was still a quarter of an hour left until her free period ended; she decided to head to the library and take her "Hogwarts, A History" book along with her for a little bit of light reading.

What she didn't know was that a certain Severus Snape was following her every step.

Severus Snape kept his eyes on Lily the whole time they walked there; he HAD to talk to her, he just had to. He needed to know how she felt about James; it was the question that stopped him from sleeping every night now without fail. Snape was at a tipping point now; after this, his friendship with Lily would either be severed, or be rekindled. Snape entered the library, with Lily right in front of him. He decided it was now or never.

"Hi Lily," Snape said, as Lily made herself comfy in her chair.

"He… oh, it's you," Lily said, rolling her eyes mid-greeting.

"Lily please! I really didn't mean to do what I did, or say what I said! I value our friendship more than anything in the world, really! Please forgive me Lily, please!" Severus begged.

"Go away, Severus. I meant what I said when I said that I was done with you," Lily said, rather tersely.

"Please!" Severus entreated once more, only to find Lily shaking her head in disgust.

"Fine, go hang out with your boyfriend _Potter,_ " Severus spat, angrily.

"He's NOT my boyfriend! At least he's TRUTHFUL and stands up for his friends," Lily retorted, unfazed.

" _What!"_ Snape exclaimed. He had expected Lily to reply commenting on how arrogant and what a prat the Potter boy was; instead, she had complimented him. He was done.

"Filthy Mudblood," Snape said hotly. Lily gasped. This was too much for her to bear; fighting with her ex-best friend, and it ending with him calling her a _Mudblood?!_ Of all things! Lily felt on the verge of tears.

"SNIVELLUS!," came an angry voice from behind the bookshelf, none other than James Potter. It appeared as if Severus had uttered the despicable word a little louder than he had wanted.

"James!" Lily said, relieved to have gotten out of her tight spot, but then immediately felt self-conscious. Had James heard her compliment him? Oh Merlin, what a mess! James glanced at her briefly, then diverted his eyes back to Snape, wand pointed at his chest.

"Whatever you do…. Don't. Call. Lily. Mudblood." James threatened, whispering every word, and frightening Severus, who ran away promptly. This left James and Lily alone in the library.

"Thanks James," Lily smiled weakly, and gave him a quick hug before hurrying off to McGonagalls'.

"Oh… it's nothing Lily." James grinned, the reality slowly sinking in. He stood there in shock for five seconds straight. Had Lily Evans, the girl of his dreams, actually HUGGED him? Not only that, but had she _stood up_ for him, and called him truthful and loyal? James couldn't have dreamed for more. It was pure luck that Remus had told him to fetch a book about nifflers from the library, else he wouldn't have been here. It was the first time that Snape's presence had affected him in a good way. James exited the library and went to the common room, the smile never leaving his face.

* * *

"And.. he called me .. MUDBLOOD," Lily sobbed in the dormitory before dinner, Marlene right by her side.

"Well, I'll GIVE him a piece of my mind! Lily, you don't deserve a guy like him; he was never right for you; he hangs out with _Mulciber_ and _Malfoy_ for heavens sake! Trust me, you'll be just fine without him," Marlene consoled her friend.

"I.. I know Marlene! It's just, we were BEST friends, we did _everything_ together… it's so hard to just give it up! He's … he's been a jerk off late, but I.." Lily wiped her tears. Marlene patted her back. She never could get over the friendship Lily and Severus had shared; it wasn't commonplace for Gryffindors and Slytherins to be seen hanging around one another, and so a full-fledged friendship between the two was hard for Marlene to wrap her head around.

"Thank Merlin James was there, I was on the verge of tears. I'm a bloody mess." Lily sighed, the tears slowly crawling away. Marlene smiled despite herself. Lily and James were finally getting along, to her secret delight.

"I get it, Lily. It's hard. But sometimes, you've got to draw the line between the good sort and the bad, and it's often hard, but it's got to be done," Marlene said conclusively.

* * *

 **before you ask... yup i couldnt resist sneaking in that serious Sirius joke haha!**

 **hope you liked that chapter!**

 **If I can get to 5 reviews this week, I'll consider myself blessed, and you guys'll get the next chapter the very next day! Is that enough motivation yet lol**

 **thankss!**


	5. Chapter 5

**here it is!**

* * *

Today was the day. Everything had been set up, everything prepared. Remus walked down to the Quidditch stands, where he waved to James, signaling that everything was going to plan. James grinned back, pleased to hear that the prank was set to work. All of Gryffindor would be in fits of laughter seeing this plan go into action.

Anyway, the game started, and Gryffindor took an immediate lead as James scored a goal. ("YES GO POTTER!" Lily cheered) A few goals and a timeout later, Gryffindor was up, 70-40. Suddenly, Tanner started itching his robes, mid-flight. The itching turned into scratching, and scratching turned into violently shaking his robes. Suddenly, a small creature emerged from Tanner's clothing: a niffler.

"AHHH HELP HELP A NIFFLER! THAT FOUL FILTHY #$%^" Tanner swore vehemently.

"It's a fake. It's not a real niffler, it's a fake one that's been enchanted to look like it's real." Remus whispered to Lily. Lily burst into laughter, furiously wiping the tears from her eyes.

"Amazing!" Lily shouted to Remus, over the laughter of the Gryffindor fans.

* * *

"GRYFFINDOR WINS!" Mark Jordan, the Gryffindor commentator of the game, yelled. This was followed by huge whoops and cheers from those adorned in red

and gold.

"Party in the Gryffindor common room! Courtesy of the Marauders!" James and Sirius yelled, happily.

Once in the common room, with the loud music playing, and people chatting, Lily beamed and approached James, unable to take the grin off her face.

"That was bloody brilliant James. I can't thank you and the Marauders enough." she said, giving James a hug. James turned slightly red.

"Thanks Lily." James said, smilling. "Actually, I was wondering, if, uh, you'd like to go the ball with me?"

Lily stood there shocked. For a moment, she didn't know what to do. One part of her said here was Potter all over again, asking her out. Just say no!

But the other part assured her that he'd changed. Lily sighed. He HAD been nice to her these past couple weeks…..it was the least she could do...

"All right, " Lily said, grinning at James.

"All…. all right? You.. you said yes. Wha…. SIRIUS REMUS PETER SHE SAID YES," James yelled from across the room.

Lily laughed at Potter's excitement. Maybe this year would be nice after all.

The End

* * *

 **Yes, yes, I know what you're all thinking... this chapter was so bloody short! It was... but don't worry, there's an epilogue!**


	6. Epilogue

**Here it is! The final installment of "At Last"! I really hope you like it. This is actually my favorite chapter out of all the chapters I've written so far. Enjoy!**

* * *

Lily sighed and stepped out of the bathroom, her long red hair curled to perfection. She was adorned in beautiful shimmering navy and silver robes. Lily grinned at her reflection in the mirror.

"LILY!" Marlene shrieked upon seeing Lily out of the bathroom. "You look STUNNING! Merlin, James is going to love this!"

"Thanks Mar! I can't imagine what Sirius will say about _you,"_ Lily smirked at her friend, who had chosen shimmering silver dress robes. Marlene grinned.

"Come on, we can't keep the boys waiting," Marlene replied.

"Since when were you so concerned about the _boys_ " Lily said cheekily. After seeing the glare Marlene shot her, Lily decided it was best if she just followed her best friend out.

The girls approached the stairs eagerly, where James and Sirius waited below.

"I can't believe this is actually happening," James told Sirius for the nth time. Sirius rolled his eyes.

"Well, you better believe it, because they're right there, mate," Sirius said, looking with awe at Marlene.

When James's hazel eyes finally found Lily's emerald ones, his jaw dropped.

"Lily…. " James was flabbergasted. He grinned at Lily. "You look amazing." Lily's cheeks tinged with pink.

"You don't look so bad yourself," Lily smiled, lightly punching James on the shoulder. James laughed.

"Shall we?" James winked, offering Lily his arm, which the latter gladly accepted. Hand in hand, the happy couple made their way from the Gryffindor common room and into the Great Hall, which was decorated to give off quite the cozy appeal.

"The Great Hall looks beautiful, doesn't it," Lily said, looking admiringly at one of the Christmas trees.

"Not as beautiful as you," James said absent-mindedly.

"James!" Lily said, laughing at his straight-forwardness. Just then, Marlene and Sirius approached them.

"Lily, I've been looking everywhere for you! How could leave me with this brat for so long," Marlene joked, whilst Sirius chuckled.

"Come on, mate, let's go grab drinks for our dates," James said to Sirius, and the two of them headed off for the beverages table.

"So… looks like you're having a great time with James," Marlene said, her face revealing no emotion. Lily raised an eyebrow.

"How the times have changed," Marlene continued, struggling to hold in her laughs.

"Oh Mar," Lily said, rolling her eyes, but smiling nevertheless.

"I'd just never have thought… I mean, YOU of all people. Just two bloody weeks ago, you were ranting to me about how James Potter was an 'arrogant toerag' or 'the biggest prat you'd ever seen'. And look where you are now," Marlene said, thoughtfully.

"An arrogant toerag, huh" a familiar voice said over her shoulder. Lily rose to see who it was.

"James!" Lily exclaimed.

"So is that what you thought of me before," James said, suppressing a laugh. He handed Lily her butterbeer.

"Who said just before," Lily smirked at James, who proceeded to roll his eyes.

"Hey, I'm not arrogant anymore! I'm only the best Quidditch captain in the history of Hogwarts and brilliant at studies and" James said, with mock seriousness. Lily laughed as he continued. "Although, you did give me a run for my money in Potions. Bloody Slughorn, never truly realized my brilliance."

"Oh James," Lily said, smiling widely. Suddenly, one of Lily's favorite songs started to play: Surreal by Colette Weliben

"Oh, I love this song!" Lily exclaimed. James smiled at her.

"So do I," James said, pulling Lily onto the dance floor. Lily smirked.

"Do you even know the name of this song?" Lily said, knowing full well what the answer would be.

"Of course not," James said, grinning. He took a deep breath, trying to preserve this moment forever. The moment which he'd been dreaming of ever since the first time he'd seen her, in first year on the Hogwarts Express. His hazel eyes shone with happiness, and the happiness he emitted was contagious. The two continued their conversation, and were so immersed in each other that they danced a full ten seconds after the song ended.

As the night came to a close, Lily pulled James into an embrace.

"Thanks for today," Lily said into his shoulder. James grinned.

"Anytime, Evans…. anytime."

* * *

 **There it is! "At Last" is officially complete! Thanks to** Maddie-Taylor1654 and Sweta-hyd **for reviewing!** I **'m thinking of posting a sequel to this, but I'm not sure if there are enough people out there who'd want one. If you'd like a sequel, let me know in the review section please :)**

 **Let me know in the review section if you'd give this story..**

 **0 stars: ewww i hated this story it was terrible go away *hides face in horror***

 **1 star: ehhh it was alright i guess, but i didn't really like it**

 **2 stars: I liked it, but not that much**

 **3 stars: It was pretty good! But there were many elements I disliked**

 **4 stars: WOW I loved this! It was amazing af and i can't wait for your next work to come out! :)**

 **5 stars: EEK! I LOVED THIS SO MUCH AND EVERYTHING WAS PERFECT! AHHH WRITE YOUR NEXT WORK SOON BECAUSE IM EXCITED AF**

 **haha thanks for all the support guys! i really appreciate every fav/follow/review :)))**

 **~ Tara**

 **ILY GUYS THX FOR READING :)))))**


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